Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six, #1) by Melissa Haag

Blurb:  Gabby’s brain is like a human fish finder. It comes in handy when she wants to avoid people. Mostly men. They seem to like her a bit too much. It’s lonely being different, but she’s adapted to it. Really. She just wishes she knew why she is different, though.

In her search for answers, she discovers a hidden community of werewolves. She immerses herself in their culture, learning about their world until she meets Clay. He’s unkempt, prone to mood swings, intense without saying a word, and he thinks Gabby is his.

It’s going to take every trick she knows to convince Clay to go away, and every bit of willpower not to fall for him when she discovers the man beneath the rough exterior.

 

4 Stars

This book is Perma-Free!  I grabbed it because my sister told me about it. And I really, really liked it. The beginning part was kinda slow and the details were a bit sketchy in the beginning.  Once I got about a third of the way into the book it really started to even out if that makes sense. It was as if the story got smoother. It seemed that way to me, I don’t know if that makes sense or not.

Gabby has a great personality.  She was a very down to earth girl. Her personality was practical and realistic, like me.  So I could identify with that.   I liked how she stuck to her morals and didn’t give in so easily to outside pressures of her ‘family’.

Clay was a strong, silent type. He was incredibly patient and sweet to her.  I think they made a good match. The paranormal aspect of the book was a bit weird to me at first because the whole fish finder thing didn’t make sense.  They talk about it a bit but it’s usefullness doesn’t become appearent till much later in the book.

The concept of the story was really original to me. It was a nice play on shifters, it wasn’t just about the whole possesion, claiming thing. The wolves didn’t have strong alpha traits that I am used too.  In most shifter books they have very agressive personalities: possessive, controlling, and protective.  But it seemed like in this book, Clay wasn’t being overbearing in his personality.  I don’t even know how to explain it. He always deferred to her and never tried to take away her choices.

The fact that Clay has almost no dialogue throughout the book yet we see his personality shine through is a real testament to the writers ability in my eyes.  Dialogue can make or break in my opinion.

Since it’s free, you should give it a try.  I’m already on the fifth book myself.  🙂